Take Flight with The Crossley ID Guide: Topside Mystery Plate

Most of the time, we’re looking up at raptors, but at a few sites, it is possible to see them from above. This mystery plate provides an opportunity for readers to test their ID skills while only viewing the topsides of birds. Topside views offer an interesting and exciting perspective, and can be an ID challenge if not familiar with this kind of viewing. Shape and flight style traits still hold useful, but plumage traits may be necessary for some identifications of birds seen from above.

See if you can nail these raptors down to age and species. Leave us your guesses in the comments below.

Here is the numbered image, but I recommend you refer back to the larger, high res version of the image above to complete the task.

Weekly Digest

Email Address*

First Name

Last Name

* = required field

The opinions expressed on the Princeton University Press Blog, including those of authors published by the Princeton University Press, are not necessarily the opinions of the Press or Princeton University, are written independent of, and without collaboration with, the Press and are solely the responsibility of those authors and not the responsibility of the Press.